There is conventionally known a vehicle detecting, by means of a sensor, the position of the shift lever operated by a driver, and switching the control state (shift range) of the automatic transmission according to the detected result of the sensor.
Control in the event of abnormality in a shift lever sensor detecting the position of the shift lever is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 5-223162 (Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1 teaches control such that, in the event of abnormality in the shift lever sensor (shift selection switch) and a wire harness connected thereto, the automatic transmission is set at the neutral state, and under a certain running environment such as when the car is running on an express highway, when the car is stopping at a crossing point, and when the car is at rest without the operator recognizing abnormality, the automatic transmission is not set at the neutral state. According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the vehicle will not immediately become disabled in driving when abnormality occurs at the shift lever sensor (shift select switch), and allows the vehicle to move under a certain running environment.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 5-223162
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-294056
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-213600
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-65436
Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 61-157441
Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-251309